Birds of Britain 

 THE BLUETHROAT 



Cyanecula suecica (Linnaeus) 



There are two forms of this species, one in which the 

 blue throat exhibits a red spot, and the other in which the 

 blue throat exhibits a white spot. The former form is 

 found breeding in Northern Europe and Siberia, wintering 

 chiefly in South Asia and North-Eastern Africa ; while the 

 latter breeds in Central Europe south of the Baltic. The 

 females and young of the two forms are practically in- 

 distinguishable. It seems probable that a few examples of 

 this species occur annually on migration along our eastern 

 coasts, but much more numerously in some years than in 

 others. These visitors are for the most part immature, and 

 until recently all the adult males that had been taken 

 belonged to the northern or red-spotted form. During the 

 last five years, however, two examples of the white-spotted 

 form have been obtained on the Sussex coast. There is a 

 variety of the white-spotted form in which the throat is 

 unspotted, but it has not yet been satisfactorily identified in 

 this country. 



When on migration they will generally be found 

 skulking in hedges and undergrowth near the coast. 



The male has the upper parts of a warm brown. There 

 is a white stripe passing through the eye ; the upper tail 

 coverts and bases of the tail feathers bright bay, rest of tail 

 dark brown. Chin, throat, and gorget brilliant ultramarine 

 blue, succeeded by bands of black, white, and bay ; rest of 



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